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Atlantic Notes: Weber, Athanasiou, Pysyk, Kovar

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The Montreal Canadiens have had a nice start to the season with an 8-5-3 record to start the season. However, more good news could be on the way as there was a Shea Weber sighting today as the veteran defenseman took the ice this morning along with David Schlemko, Brendan Gallagher, Noah Juulsen and Carey Price, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie.

The team captain was originally scheduled to return sometime in December, so it still may be a while before he fully returns, but this is a step in the right direction for the veteran. Weber could add another key element to a young team that seems to have found some offense from a number of young names and gotten some solid goaltending from Price. Adding Weber to their blueline could only make the team stronger as they start hitting the middle of their season schedule.

  • The Detroit Red Wings like what they see from winger Andreas Athanasiou so far this year. What the 24-year-old has always lacked was competive consistency, which they are finally starting to see everyday, according to MLive’s Ansar Khan. Athanasiou has always had the speed that many people felt he could put up big numbers if he figured things out. However, the best the Red Wings have gotten out of him has been 18 goals, two years ago. Through 13 games so far this season, he already has six goals and nine points and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. “I know those chances are going to come, so it’s just playing hard when I get out there and capitalizing on those chances,” Athanasiou said.
  • George Richards of The Athletic (subscription required) writes that Florida Panthers defenseman Mark Pysyk remains a healthy scratch for the seventh straight time despite being medically cleared to play again on Thursday, but can’t seem to work his way back into Florida’s lineup. He was knocked out of the lineup after taking a hit from Washington’s Alex Ovechkin on Oct. 19. The hope is he will be in the lineup on Sunday.
  • Jan Kovar was brought overseas with the intention of plugging him in the New York Islanders’ lineup. Two months later has the 28-year-old Kovar playing on a PTO with the Providence Bruins of the AHL, but faring quite well with five goals and nine points in eight games. Could a promotion be in order? “Smart player,” said Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney (via Providence Journal’s Mark Divver). “I really like the skills, top of the circles down in the offensive zone. What probably surprises me a little bit, coming from (the KHL), is how gritty he is, as far as playing in high traffic, possession.”
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning announced that defenseman Anton Stralman and forward Adam Erne were out tonight and are listed as day-to-day, both with upper-body injuries. With the return of defenseman Victor Hedman, it looked as if the team’s defense was almost healthy. Instead, the team will be without Stralman for the time being, who was the one to fill many of Hedman’s minutes. Slater Koekkoek remains in the lineup.

 

Panthers Unlikely To Make A Big Trade In Wake Of Slow Start

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The Panthers have gotten off to a slow start this season, posting a 3-5-3 record that has them last overall in the NHL.  Accordingly, speculation has picked up about whether it’s time for them to shake things up.  In an appearance on TSN 1260 (audio link), TSN’s Darren Dreger stated that he doesn’t expect GM Dale Tallon to make a significant move but instead may try to make a smaller one to see if that gets the team going:

It’s at least worth noting that the Panthers have at least four games in hand on every team in the Atlantic Division so while they sit seven points out of a Wild Card spot heading into tonight’s action, they can work their way back into the mix fairly quickly.  A healthy Roberto Luongo should help their fortunes but if they continue to scuffle, a small move could be on the horizon.

Derek MacKenzie Undergoes Surgery, Out Indefinitely

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The Florida Panthers announced today that veteran forward and former captain Derek MacKenzie has undergone successful shoulder surgery which will keep him out of the lineup indefinitely. The surgery had been planned since before the team left for their games in Finland, given the injury he suffered on opening night. MacKenzie is in the final year of his current contract, and played fewer than three minutes of ice time before coming out of the game earlier this year.

If this is the end for MacKenzie, who will turn 38 in June, it has been a successful run. After being selected in the fifth round in 1999 by the Atlanta Thrashers, it took him a decade to establish himself as a full-time NHL player. That came in 2010-11 with the Columbus Blue Jackets, when he played in 63 games and set a career-high with 23 points. The nine goals he scored that year were the closest he’d come to double digits, but he was valued nonetheless as a bottom-six player and emotional leader on both Columbus and then Florida.

Named captain of the Panthers in 2016 after Willie Mitchell retired, MacKenzie held the position for two seasons before relinquishing the “C” to Aleksander Barkov this summer. Though he was not scheduled to wear a letter this year, MacKenzie is still a huge part of the leadership group in Florida and his presence is notoriously missing on the ice. The former Calder Cup champion has 611 career regular season games under his belt in the NHL, but never was able to get his teams to even the second round of the playoffs. If he can get back on the ice before the season is over, the Panthers will clearly welcome him with open arms. If not, it’s been a career to be proud of and one that has stretched nearly two decades.

Brendan Lemieux Suspended Two Games For Illegal Check

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The decision has been made on Winnipeg Jets forward Brendan Lemieux. The Department of Player Safety has suspended Lemieux for two games following his illegal check to the head of Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck. Lemieux delivered a check almost exclusively to the head of Trocheck, and was given a match penalty for the contact in addition to the fighting major he earned after MacKenzie Weegar initiated a fight. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that the head is clearly the main point of contact on this hit, and that the head contact on this hit was avoidable. While Trocheck is playing the puck, he does not materially change the position of his head or body just prior to contact in a way that contributes to the head being the main point of contact on this hit. If Lemieux wants to deliver this check, he must take an angle of approach that hits through Trocheck’s shoulder and core rather than picking his head and making it the main point of contact.

Lemieux, 22, hasn’t faced any previous disciplinary action from the DoPS, but that’s not saying a lot considering his NHL career is just 18 games old. The 31st-overall pick from the 2014 draft, he was traded by the Buffalo Sabres as part of the Evander Kane deal several years ago and has racked up 328 penalty minutes in 125 AHL games. Though his physical play is encouraged and a big part of his game, there will be increased punishments by the league if he continues to engage in dangerous hits like this.

Trocheck returned to the game and finished with 19 minutes of ice time, luckily escaping a major injury. The Panthers aren’t back in action until Thursday, giving him some extra time to recover from any ill effects. Lemieux meanwhile will miss at least a week, given that the Jets don’t play again until Friday. He will be eligible to return to the lineup on Wednesday, November 14th.

Minor Transactions: 11/05/18

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Ten teams are back in action tonight, kicked off by the reigning Stanley Cup champions welcoming Connor McDavid and the red hot Edmonton Oilers into Washington. Before the games start, we’ll be here keeping track of all the minor moves:

  • Tom Kuhnhackl has been recalled by the New York Islanders in time for their game tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Kuhnhackl scored three points in his lone AHL contest, and will try to reestablish himself in the Islanders bottom six. Unfortunately, he’ll have to wait for at least one game as the Islanders will go with the same lineup that won on Saturday night.
  • Anton Blidh is the latest call-up for the Boston Bruins, giving them another option up front. The 23-year old forward has six points in 11 games for the Providence Bruins this season, but adds some energy and physicality to whatever lineup he joins.
  • The Florida Panthers are no longer carrying three goaltenders, as Michael Hutchinson has been returned to the minor leagues. Roberto Luongo was activated just before the team went to Europe, meaning Hutchinson is no longer required to stay with the group at the NHL level. Unfortunately, his short opportunity didn’t go well, as the 28-year old goaltender registered just an .839 save percentage in four appearances. He’ll still serve as quality depth at the position, but needs to get his game back on track.
  • Travis Boyd is back with the Washington Capitals after finishing his conditioning stint in the minor leagues. The 25-year old forward played two games with the Hershey Bears, but now will re-join the Capitals in time for their game against the Edmonton Oilers tonight. Nathan Walker has been reassigned to the AHL in the meantime, after clearing waivers today.

Winnipeg’s Brendan Lemieux Will Get Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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Sunday: The Department of Player Safety announced that Lemieux’s hearing will take place Monday afternoon.

Saturday: The Department of Player Safety announced that there will be a hearing for Winnipeg Jets forward Brendan Lemieux for his illegal check against Florida Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck Friday in the NHL Global Series in Finland. No time and date have been set yet.

Lemieux clipped Trocheck directly in the head as he passed by him in the neutral zone (video here) during the second period of the game. Lemieux was given a match penalty, triggering an automatic review of the hit. Immediately after, Lemieux and Florida Panthers’ MacKenzie Weegar got into a fight with Lemieux ejected afterwards.

Lemieux, the son of former NHLer Claude Lemieux, is still trying to find his scoring touch as he hasn’t posted a point so far in nine games this season and only has one NHL goal to his name, picked up last season. The 22-year-old was a second-round pick back in 2014 and accumulated 300 penalty minutes in two seasons in the AHL.

Los Angeles Kings Fire Coach John Stevens

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The Los Angeles Kings announced that general manager Rob Blake has relieved coach John Stevens of his duties. The Kings have made Willie Desjardins as the interim coach for the rest of the season.

“This is a critical time in our season and our results to date have fallen well below our expectations. With that in mind, this was a difficult decision but one we feel was necessary,” said Blake. “We have a great deal of respect and appreciation for John’s time with our organization. He was a key part of our past success, and we have tremendous gratitude for his many contributions.”

Despite picking up a 4-1 victory Saturday over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the victory didn’t do anything to allow Stevens to keep his job as the team remained 4-8-1 in the team’s first 13 games, giving them the worst record in league with the Florida Panthers the only other team that has nine points (although they have played two less games). Stevens, in just his second year as head coach of the team, took the team to the playoffs last year as the fourth-seed in the Pacific Division, but were swept in the first-round of the playoffs as the Vegas Golden Knights exposed their lack of speed.

Los Angeles responded by adding 35-year-old Ilya Kovalchuk through free agency this offseason and was expected to make a renewed run for a Stanley Cup title with the likes 30-somethings Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty (he’s actually just 28), Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown, Trevor Lewis, Nate Thompson, Dion Phaneuf and Alec Martinez. The team was expecting some of their young players to step up, but players such as Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson have struggled under Stevens’ tenure and haven’t developed into the goal scorers that everyone had hoped for. The team also has been without Quick, their star goaltender, for much of the season and there is no word on how much time he might miss with his most recent injury. Throw in the lack of development of some of their prospects and the team was heading down the wrong path with many of their veterans under contract for three of four more years.

Desjardins, who has 20+ years of coaching experience, has been acting as Team Canada’s men’ head coach, including leading the team in the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, Korea. He served as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks for three seasons between 2014 and 2017, compiling a disappointing 109-110-27 record. He also led Team Canada to gold at the Spengler Cup in December of 2017. Desjardins also served eight years as head coach in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers where he won two championships in eight seasons there.

The team also released fired assistant coach Don Nachbaur from his duties, who served as the team’s assistant since last season. The team has brought in current German National Team coach and former Kings player Marco Sturm. The team did retain assistant coach Dave Lowry.

One has to wonder what Stevens chances will be to get another head coaching position. He served as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers between 2006 through 2009, reaching the Eastern Conference finals once and a second playoff appearance. He has a combined record of 171-148-43.

Helene Elliott was the first to report the coaching change.

 

CBA Notes: Timeline, World Cup, Fehr, Playoffs, Scheduling, Orr

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The NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement is not a topic that most hockey fans want to hear much about, as in its recent history it has become synonymous with lockouts and missed games (and seasons). Yet, it isn’t ever going away and details are already emerging about when the next round of negotiations could begin. The current CBA technically does not expire until September 15th after the 2021-22 season and can even be extended on a yearly basis after that point. However, both the league and the players’ association can opt out ahead of the 2020-21 season with notice given in September of 2019. That date is less than a year out, making discussions of the current state of NHL labor relations prevalent now even if the CBA ends up intact for many years still to come. Currently, the league is not planning to use their option in September, according to Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman. This is supported by claims that commissioner Gary Bettman has encouraged the NHLPA to figure out their stance as soon as possible. If the league is to hold an off-season World Cup tournament in 2020, as they did in 2016, they do not want to do so ahead of a season that could potentially be held up by a player strike. While the players have until September to make a decision on opting out of the current CBA ahead of the 2020-21 season, Friedman speculates that the league will need to know their intentions by the All-Star break this year or thereabouts if they are to begin planning the next World Cup. As Friedman notes, the international stage is very important to the players and with the NHL currently looking unlikely to attend the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China, the players may not want to risk their only other international experience, the World Cup. Will it be enough motivation to keep the CBA intact a while longer? We should know that answer before the end of the current season.

  • When CBA talks do finally re-open, Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos states his belief that both sides are determined to avoid a work stoppage this time around. Although they will have to get over their recent tumultuous negotiating history, which has cost owners, players, and fans alike a season and a half since the turn of the century, as well as sort through some serious issues, the fact that both sides feel a shutdown would be a worst case scenario this time around is a positive note for everyone with a stake in the game.
  • Despite recent remarks that were inferred as signaling a coming end to his career, NHLPA Director Donald Fehr is not going anywhere, per Friedman. Fehr indicated that he would only be around for one or two more years, but walked back those comments by telling Friedman that he will stay on through the next CBA negotiation, whenever that is. The 70-year-old executive is well-respected if not feared for his hardball tactics, but has been optimistic about the next round of negotiations when approached about the topic recently. Fehr faces the tough choice of whether to opt out in 2020 (and retire sooner) or keep the peace for a couple more years instead.
  • One CBA topic gaining support is a change to playoff structure, reports Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston. However, it likely is not what many would consider to be the most pressing change. Johnston says that there is a growing movement among owners in favor of adding more teams to the playoff format. The NHL has operated with more than half of its teams making the postseason for many years now, but once Seattle joins the league as the 32nd member, that 16-team structure will now have a balance of exactly half the teams qualifying. Johnston believes that owners are in favor of a play-in structure, similar to the one recently adopted by Major League Baseball, that would hypothetically include two or four more teams to the postseason through do-or-die play-in games. Interestingly, this movement may never reach the bargaining table. Johnston notes that while some owners are in favor of this move, others, and most importantly Bettman, are happy with the current structure and are not seeking to change anything in the near future.
  • Changes to the playing schedule, particularly game times, could also be an intriguing CBA topic. Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press writes that many foreign-born NHL players are in favor of more frequent matinee games. Speaking with the Washington Capitals’ Nicklas Backstrom and Lars Eller and the Florida Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov, Whyno found that many NHL imports feel that earlier games would be far more convenient for foreign fans and could help to grow the game overseas. While the league has proven to be very invested in expanding the game in Europe and beyond, afternoon games on weekdays are an impossibility, while afternoon games on weekends in the first half of the season would pit the NHL against NFL and NCAA football far more often. The players may be fine with losing domestic television ratings in exchange for increased visibility overseas, but the league likely will not be. In need of a new TV deal in 2021, the NHL is unlikely to hurt the market value of their TV rights by expressing an interest in more frequently taking on football, the most popular sport in the United States.
  • For his part, Bobby Orr thinks that another work stoppage is likely. Orr told The Canadian Press that he would be “surprised” if there isn’t a lockout or strike before the next CBA is agreed upon, calling it a “tough” situation. “I think there are concerns on both sides… I hope there isn’t… I hope I’m wrong. We don’t need another lockout”, Orr said. Orr is not only one of the game’s greatest legends, but through his agency, The Orr Hockey Group, gleams plenty of information about the state of the league. If Orr says that it’s going to be tough, he’s probably right. The only hope is that termination can be put off a while longer and issues can be worked out in the meantime.

Roberto Luongo Activated From Injured Reserve

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Though he won’t play for the team during their trip to Finland, Roberto Luongo was quietly activated from injured reserve last night and will be back in net for the Florida Panthers before long. That’s a huge boost for a team that finds itself in dead last in the Eastern Conference and tied for the fewest points through the first month of the season. Part of that lack of success is due to some very poor goaltending from James Reimer and Michael Hutchinson, who have combined for an .864 save percentage in their appearances.

Luongo will give the team a boost in net, but they’ll have to clean up the play in front of him if they want to start competing in the Atlantic Division. After a second half push last season the team barely missed out on a playoff spot, and many believed they would be right there challenging the Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs for the top three spots. That hasn’t happened yet this year as the competition from top to bottom has improved, and the Panthers find themselves battling to even stay relevant.

The veteran goaltender is now fourth on the all-time wins list among NHL goaltenders, and needs just 14 more this season to pass Ed Belfour. Likely a Hall of Fame inductee after his retirement, Luongo is still under contract for three more seasons after 2018-19 and is still performing at a high level.

Panthers Hopeful That Roberto Luongo Will Return Next Week

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  • While the Panthers were hopeful that goaltender Roberto Luongo would be able to play during the NHL Global Series this week, it doesn’t appear that this will be the case. Instead, head coach Bob Boughner told reporters, including NHL.com’s Brian Compton, that they now hope that he will be available to return at some point next week.  Following their two games in Finland, their next game will be November 8th so that appears to be the new target date.  Luongo was injured in the season opener back on October 6th and Florida has gotten off to somewhat of a sluggish start without their top netminder, going 2-4-3 to start the season.

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